Parliamentary questions
Colin Smyth
990 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to align the legal protections for aquatic farmed animals with those for terrestrial farmed animals, in line with the recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission in May 2025.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish very seriously and has already committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for farmed fish during production, as set out in its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Comm…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its proposed timeline is for bringing forward legislation on the slaughter of farmed salmon, following the publication of official guidance and in line with the recommendations of the Animal Welfare Committee and the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government’s guidance on Welfare at the time of Killing in Salmon Farming, published on 17 July 2025, is based on the recommendations made by the UK Government's Animal Welfare Committee and developed in conjunction with the Scottish farmed…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it is taking to reduce waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments (a) across Scotland and (b) in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I recognise that there has been a significant increase in children and adults seeking ADHD assessments across Scotland, and that this is creating challenges for a range of services.The Scottish Government is working with the National Autism Implementation Tea…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any shortage of prescribers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication and treatment in Scotland.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The regulation of medicines is reserved to the UK Parliament and the eligibility of individuals to prescribe, supply or administer medicines relies upon both profession and medicine-specific amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The Scottish Par…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish national minimum standards for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) post-diagnostic support.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out the seven standards for all services to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs, including ADHD. The Scottis…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure that people are not being denied timely access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment or treatment by their local NHS board.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the overall policy direction of health services, and for working with and funding NHS Boards and local authorities to ensure they plan and deliver appropriate local services. However, it is the responsibility…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communication and engagement plans it has in place to ensure that families, individuals and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) support groups are regularly updated on the development of the national ADHD strategy.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39413 on 6 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many clinicians in Scotland are currently qualified to prescribe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, broken down by (a) profession and (b) NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many clinicians in Scotland are currently qualified to prescribe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, broken down by (a) profession and (b) NHS board is not held centrally.
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors NHS boards' compliance with national expectations regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and support services.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government engages regularly with all health boards regarding their provision of support for neurodivergent people, including those with ADHD.We are working closely with Health Boards and local authorities towards implementing the National Neurod…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate additional funding or resources to NHS boards to reduce waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has directly allocated £123.5 million to NHS Boards and IJBs for the Enhanced Mental Health Outcomes Framework in 2025-26. This provides a single, flexible funding stream to support continued improvements and better outcomes acro…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish a formal advisory group of people with lived experience to help shape and monitor the implementation of the national attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) strategy.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39413 on 6 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment in each NHS board.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.However, we acknowledge that work is needed to improve the quality of data on neurodevelopmental support and services, including a better understanding of current levels of need and the level of…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that there is consistent access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication across all NHS boards.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is aware that supplies of some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines continue to be intermittent. The supply of medicines, including those for the treatment of ADHD, and the associated legislation are a reserved mat…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is currently offered to (a) individuals and (b) families following an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, and whether it plans to develop a standard post-diagnostic support pathway.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to develop a standard post-diagnostic support pathway for ADHD. The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out the standards for …
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish national service standards for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment and support.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to publish national service standards for ADHD assessment, treatment and support.The National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People sets out t…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how people with lived experience of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will be involved in the development and delivery of the national ADHD strategy.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39413 on 6 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently on waiting lists for an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) age group.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.However, we acknowledge that work is needed to improve the quality of data on neurodevelopmental support and services, including a better understanding of current levels of need and the level of…
17 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the national attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) strategy, and what the anticipated timeline is for (a) consultation, (b) final publication and (c) implementation.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to publish a national ADHD strategy.However, the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill consulted on proposals to introduce a National Strategy for Learning Disabilities and Neur…
2 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients in towns such as Gretna, Langholm, and Canonbie are not excluded from accessing contingency care staffing systems, such as Staffscanner, due to geographic location, and what steps are being taken to address any resulting disparity in care …
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government recognise that there may be occasions where Health Boards require access to agency workers in order to supplement their workforce. In keeping with our national approach, such workers should only be deployed by exception.Where such exce…
30 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38278 by Neil Gray on 10 June 2025, what support, in the form of guidance and process delivery, it is providing to clinicians to prioritise any urgent non-cancer colonoscopy requests.
Answer · Neil Gray: As part of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) has published a number of clinical pathways and guidance, co-designed with clinicians from specialty delivery groups to manage patients refer…
17 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-30076, S6W-30077 and S6W-30078 by Mairi Gougeon on 7 October 2024, whether it can provide an update on its consideration of the issues regarding any funding that it provided to TN Trawlers or associated companies over the periods of…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government officials have now looked further into this matter, and in relation to the member's previous questions S6W-30076, S6W-30077 and S6W-30078, we can provide the following further information.On question S6W-30076 (To ask the Scottish Governme…
17 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent media coverage of a video showing discarded fish on the Scottish seabed, what due diligence it carries out regarding any fines or convictions for illegal discard prior to it providing any funding to any fishing companies or vessels.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Applicants to the Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) are subject to scheme rules and eligibility criteria which include, where appropriate, assessment of any previous relevant offences and convictions. This is set out in detail in the MFS scheme guidance Marine and f…
16 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what compliance monitoring by NatureScot in relation to grouse shooting licences (a) took place during the 2024 and (b) is planned for the 2025 shooting season.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Desk based compliance checks have been made on all grouse moor licences in respect of ensuring the area covered by the licence is appropriate and the relevant information has been provided by the applicant. Whilst no site visits have specifically been underta…
11 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that nearly 40% of adults in Dumfries and Galloway are not registered with an NHS dentist.
4 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any species licences issued to Forestry and Land Scotland by NatureScot can be transferred to third parties without the prior approval of NatureScot, and whether any such formal consent is in place at present for third party use.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Any changes, including transferring the licence or modifying its scope, must be agreed upon in writing with NatureScot.The current years red squirrel licence granted to Forestry and Land Scotland contains a condition (i.e. four) stating that, this licence can…
4 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Forestry and Land Scotland has allowed external organisations to work under its own species-specific killing, disturbance or shelter destruction licences when carrying out forestry operations on the national forest estate; if so, how often, and which species are involved in any …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The only current operations by external organisations are standing sale harvesting operations, conducted under the FLS Red Squirrel license with the prior permission of FLS. There is a total of twenty-three sites across the landholding.
4 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which external organisations or type of organisations have undertaken operations under any Forestry and Land Scotland species-specific licence.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Businesses providing forestry operations services (contractors), and standing sales timber buyers (merchants), and for the research licence, research institutes and universities.
4 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many species-specific licences, issued by NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland currently holds; for which species, and for what purposes.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Forestry and Land Scotland currently holds three species licences. The details of which are as follows:Licence numberSpeciesPurpose280737Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) Schedule 1 (breeding and lekking) and 5 (Great crested newts, Otters, and Wildca…
9 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Programme for Government 2025-26 announcement of 20,000 additional orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures is in addition to the announcement of 30,000 procedures contained within the NHS Operational Improvement Plan, which was published in March 2025. …
Answer · Neil Gray: Our previous 2024-25 Programme for Government, published in September 2024, committed to delivering around 20,000 extra orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures annually in our new National Treatment Centres.The most recent Programme for Gove…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will review and update its social security uptake strategy.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has a legal duty to review and update its Benefit Take-Up Strategy by October 2026. This is in line with regulation 9(c) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, which states that a new strategy must be produced within 5 years of th…